Concert: Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson in Phoenix

Marilyn Manson has lost his shock, but Rob Zombie can still rock, judging from their co-headlining tour's opener Friday (9/28) at Phoenix's Ashley Furniture HomeStore Pavilion.

The "Twins of Evil" tour, which played the pavilion as part of day one of 98KUPD's Desert Uprising featuring the likes of Art of Dying, Buckcherry and Corey Taylor, seemed like the perfect bill, but Manson seemed like evil's little brother.

He arrived on stage with his back to the audience, wearing a goggle mask and singing 'Hey, Cruel World ..." from his latest album, "Born Villain." The next song was "Disposable Teens," and it appeared that Manson was slurring through the words. The sound was muddy as well, which didn't help matters.

The opening night jitters continued with "The Love Song," when Manson forgot the words to the second verse.

There was very little trickery or production to the show. When he sang "The Dope Show," the word "DRUGS" appeared in lights at the back of the stage, but the "S" burned out. Patriotic red, white and blue confetti rained down on the crowd. "Rock is Dead" also featured confetti, this time in a shiny metallic color.

Manson seemed frustrated with the lack of response to his newer material and his faux pas. He didn't finish his cover of The Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams," slamming the mike down and walking off stage. However, it initially seemed like all of that didn't matter to the audience. They pumped their fists to "mOBSCENE."

Wearing all black, he dryly made fun of Phoenix's heat, which was temperate for this time of year.

"I applaud your courage for the temperatures," Manson said.

Zombie played last; reportedly the two are swapping headlining spots. Zombie's show was infinitely better right out of the gate. Taking center stage was a burning robot, out of which Zombie stepped, beckoning the crowd with a mechanical claw. Giant, animatronic monsters and robots took control of the stage throughout Zombie's 90-minute set, adding a whole new dimension to his set.

He kicked off the show with "Jesus Frankenstein," "Superbeast" and "Scum of the Earth." White-haired guitarist John 5 shook his head back and forth in true John 5 fashion during the set. Longtime Zombie drummer Tommy Clufetos, who defected to Black Sabbath, was replaced by Ginger Fish. (It must have been awkward for Manson to see half of his band -- Fish and John 5 -- on stage with Zombie. It was also Fish's birthday.)

"Are you ready for a long night?" Zombie said about the already long day. "Maybe I stuttered. Are you read to have a motherfucking party?"

B-Movie clips filled the multiple video screens adorning the stage, Zombie's ultra-attractive wife Sherri also appeared in some of the original film that played out to the music.

"Living Dead Girl" was one of the highlights of the show, with Zombie's band ejecting beach balls into the audience, a playful move for the act. The White Zombie classic "More Human Than Human" singlehandedly beat Manson's set with the massive Mr.Roboto making his return visit from previous tours.

A striking moment in the show was during "Mars Needs Women" in which Zombie appeared on stage in a long, red, military-style jacket parading atop a monstrous mechanical vehicle.